Artist director Jim Petosa saying goodbye to New Rep after 'We Will Not Be Silent'

By Alexander Stevens, Correspondent

Wednesday

Oct 10, 2018 at 1:57 PMOct 11, 2018 at 12:19 PM

When Jim Petosa chose to direct “We Will Not Be Silent” this season at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, he didn’t know it would be the last play he would helm as the company’s artistic director.

During the intervening months, Petosa started to feel the timing was right for his departure, largely because the theater company had successfully redefined its artistic raison d’etre.

“We had just completed a robust review of our mission, articulating that we’re a theater that places an emphasis on social issues,” Petosa said. “We’re interested in stories that lead us to a rigorous examination of political, social and psychological ideas, not just stories that make us feel comforted and settled.”

Examining political and social ideas that make us feel uncomfortable? “We Will Not Be Silent” may be the perfect goodbye for Petosa.

The play, which runs Oct. 13 to Nov. 4 at New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, dramatizes the true story of Sophie Scholl, a German college student who led a rare act of civil disobedience against Adolph Hitler. The play is about a teenager who raises her voice against fascist Germany, but Petosa keeps thinking about those Parkland High School students.

“It feels particularly apt that [this German uprising] was enacted by young college students,” said Petosa. “After the Parkland students rose up and demonstrated against gun violence, it became clear we needed to do a play that addressed the power of young people. The country had endured all these horrific shootings, but it was something about the Parkland students that resonated with the country. I think it was the urgency and purity of their voices.”

At the start of the 80-minute one-act play, we find Sophie Scholl in a German interrogation cell. She’s a core member of White Rose, a real life 1942 resistance movement that called for active opposition to the policies and tactics of the Third Reich. It was serious business, and the stakes were high.

The distribution of anti-government material in Nazi Germany was a “capital crime,” said Petosa.

The government offers Sophie the opportunity to renounce her views and save herself. Sophie is defiant, but sticking to her principles and standing on the right side of history could cost her her life.

“It’s compelling,” said Petosa. “Interrogation scenes can be very compelling onstage, when they’re well-written like this.”

If patrons feel unnerved by “We Will Not Be Silent,” it’s because the issues strike too close to home.

Will the play resonate with modern audiences? You be the judge.

“I loved Hitler, too,” Sophie says in the play. “I begged my parents to take me to the rallies – the marches. I was so proud – to wear my uniform, to be a German. I was a child. I could not understand… but you knew. All of you. And you did nothing.”

It’s not surprising that an artistic director might enjoy presenting challenging work. It’s far rarer to find a theater community that not only accepts it, but encourages it.

“The New Rep board [of directors] and audiences have a fundamental desire to have the theater be an area of profound exploration,” said Petosa. “I’ve been so impressed with their belief that the theater should advocate for the significance of art beyond entertainment value. They are a wonderful and high-minded group of people who believe that theater should explore the vital ideas of our time.”

It’s not just talk. Petosa saw the theater put its money where its mouth was. And he watched audiences show up for plays that directly or indirectly addressed the issues of the day.

“We were in rehearsal for ‘Brecht on Brecht’ during the Trump inauguration,” he said. “You couldn’t get a ticket to that show. People wanted to come to a place where they could ponder the question: What can we do now?”

Unfortunately, ideas (no matter how high-minded they may be) cost money to present on stage.

“We’re in a time when philanthropy in the arts is really required if we want to lead these intuitions forward, if the goal is not just to survive but to thrive,” said Petosa. “When it comes to funding, you need a compelling reason to exist. I feel like I’m leaving the next administration with the opportunity to make a strong case for the theater.”

Petosa, a Quincy resident who will be 65 when he steps down from his post in the spring, was an effective advocate for the theater. He comes across as warm, gregarious, insightful, articulate and generous of spirit. News of his departure prompted accolades from many of those who worked with him.

But he’s not gone yet, and it’s clear he’s ready to advocate for the theater through the end of his tenure, and probably beyond.

“Individual donors do their best, but corporate giving is painful,” he said. When it comes to arts and cultural funding, “this state should be leading the pack, but we are far from leading the pack. I feel optimistic about the future of New Rep, but these are challenging times.”

“We Will Not Be Silent” runs Oct. 13 to Nov. 4 at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown. Tickets: $25-$67. Call 617-923-8487, or visit newrep.org.